ok, so feb to aug.. not too bad i guess...

well how are you all this fine cold eve? me? I am well, thanks for asking!

so, when last we spoke, i learned you a bit about Jenny Craig... well home girl did me good... i lost a total of 33 lbs while on the program and continued on to another 7. since then i have been working out, trimming down and just generally *being* healthy.

Sophie is (really as of last night) walking great now.. she runs from one end of the living room to the other... unless babyfirst tv is on, then she just sits ther mesmorised by harry the bunny.

She has also taken to teasing Pal with food... she's so mean.. she'll let him get to lick whatever she is eating, then laughs, yanks it away and eats it herself... gross perhaps, but as a responsible parent that i am, i say "no" then laugh because it's damn funny.

work is good.. am doing stuff that i love.... and i work with a bunch of great people... hell, they PAY ME to be a geek.. how freaking awesome is that? i make stuff that people use, i actually make a difference... i am in a really good place with work.

next big event is Disneyland in november... sweet! the last step was getting our passports (soph's is adorable, the rest look like really bad mugshots....) Sophies took 8 days, the rest took 6... great work Canadas goverment.

ok, well Sophie is now stacking her wetwipes box on her diaper box and standing/balancing on them, so i should go...

fare well and be happy my friends.

need to blog... too many changes...

So here I am, this one feels obligitory, but i'm ok with that...

lots of changes going around with work, life, home and everything really

life?
working on my new years resolutions... biggest one is weight loss.
I started Jenny Craig on feb 16th... it was hard at first until i got the rhythym... it's only been a week and a bit, but I can already feel my energy levels rising.
I know what you are thinking, "Mike, yer a dude!" yeah.. I am... they really need to change Jenny Craigs name... to something like Stone Rockford.. or something manly, they'd attract way more guys.
they aren't bad... the food is reasonably good tasting and, as of my last weigh-in at just 5 days in, I was 4.6lbs down... just over 10% to my target. I am at 1700 calories a day now... hell the Taco bell big box meal was 1300 calories alone without the drink... stopping that alone was bound to make a difference.

home?
Well kinda home... we got a new mini-van... got away from our 10 year old death trap minivan... and now this new one's color is the same name I have decided my derek zoolanderesque look will be Magnesium... (really it's a silvery-blue-green, but magnesium sounds dope...er)

work...?
ah work.
well things are changing... bitter sweet for the most part. I feel like i lost a friend. Now, she's still around, but.. different... exciting new adventures for her... but i'm no longer as big a part of that story :(
however,
I am thrilled for the opportunity that another friend has recieved... she has worked hard to get where she is, she was not given many breaks... she earned her keep, swept them away with her talent and charisma and is has now set a course for adventure... like some boat... of love... or something...

everything?
well... this one, i feel kinda dorky about, but, I am an obama-maniac... I fill with pride when i see photos of obama, how happy he is, how much he represents and how big a difference adding a bit of contrast to the world will make... think back just 50 years ago... way to go USA... you raised your awesomeness scale a helluva lot this time around... another 100+ decisions like that, you'll be in league with us Cannucks.

Thanks for listening/reading... I hope all is well with everything you are and do.

slightly skinnier Mike

I was made for eating meat

I was randomly surfing around and I found an article that really... well it pissed me off!

It was a person who chose to live a vegetarian lifestyle bitching about those around her that did not make that choice.

I am by no means an idiot, I do see the signs... so let me point and counter-point myself.

reasons people should genetically be vegetarians:

point 1:we are slow
Comparatively, when it comes to chasing down our prey, we are no cheatahs or Ben Johnsons.. (well.. he is... )

counterpoint 1:we have technology to compensate
Over the millenia (or centuries, if you choose to be creationalist...) we have advanced from chasing our prey and snapping their necks to hucking rocks, to stabbing with sticks to spears to bows to guns to suvs. WE outsmarted them... why is it our fault that they could not keep up technologically and armor up themseleves?

point 2: we lack claws or talons like most predators

counterpoint 2: we work too hard
We work too hard in life to be able to maintain claws or talons. blogging is hella hard enough with my little bitten nails as it is. genetically, we still have the ability, if we let our nails grow, they will harden... but who wants to get jiggy with a guy with 3" hard yellow nails? also see CP1

point 3: our relatively poor eyesight / hearing / smell
your standard predators have an interesting combination of rods and cones that allow better lowlight vision, and if that doesn't work, the other senses compensate with cool things like echolocation and scent tracking.

counterpoint 3: flashlights, nightvision tech, binoculars, mapping technology
hmm.. i seem to be in some sort of a groove here...

point 4:our long digestive tract makes it easier for food to decay in our bodies

counterpoint 4:our bodies have evolved to make the long journey more efficient
this was a good point, shorter is better to prevent decay, however, shorter also wastes alot more... the stuff that comes out of us is 85% waste (birds are 25% waste, bears are 65% waste, deer are 15% waste!)

finally, teeth...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/activities/teeth_eating_fs.shtml

In closing, eating meat or not, its a choice, like who to buy a newspaper from or what to wear... you make your own rules, accept the choices other people make because they are as evolved as you and are capable of deciding for themselves.

Thank you and good day!

i said good day!
M

I resolve....

As we draw 2008 to a close, I am forced to look back and see what a whirlwind it has been.

1: on new years day of 2008, we found out we were expecting...
This one was a huge one... we have been trying for 10 years to have our second child... Christmas 2007 Kaeden asked for a brother or sister... and a Wii... he got it all... lucky bugger.

2: I lost my office.
GRRR! embrace change, I did.. and i smiled... but inside, I cried a small cry

3:I learned how awesome SQL really is....
like... it... really... is.

4: My vasectomy...
(my... LEAST favorite) done by a doctor who, if you put your fingers over his picture of his moustache, resembles a certain Austrian evil bastardo... check it out... www.vasman.com (yeah, i know, just like on Seinfeld...)

my resolutions for 2009:
1: lose some fat...
I mean, I am quite hot, but i could stand to lose 30lbs worth of pot belly

2: be more active
see 1

3: be waaaaaaay more social
anyone that knows me at all, knows that i generally dislike people.. everyone starts on my bad side and has to earn their way to the good books... I need to break that habit.

4: be more charitable
this past holiday season, I don't know what came over me... I just saw ideas and ran with them and raised money for people in need... who knew that being nice would make you feel... well nice.

5: blog more.
I am truly sorry for not letting you into my head as much as you deserve... forgive me.

Mike
happy new year

a fun thing to do on a saturday night when the family is out looking at lights... is hunt the internet jungle for cool and entertaining things:

custom lego figures and accessories (like weapons!)http://brickarms.com/galleries/solidgold.aspx
i linked this right to the solid gold customs this guy had made... pretty fly.

if you wanna spend a relaxing nite peeing yourself slightly from laughing like a moron, check out the vids on http://www.totallycrap.com/.
my personal faves are:
man tries to be the basketball, and fails
man vs cactus
Teamwork Skit
Weightlifter Gets A Nutshot (note the flowered blankie covering the bench)
caution, that site has some NSFW stuff... but i only go there for the funny vids... really....

Then from College humour
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1889137
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1892776
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1892585
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1890198
and the funniest, professor Wikipedia:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1830262

and finally, because i am a dork who likes a frontin' beat...
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXe_3gVz6I&eurl=http://www.totallycrap.com/magazine/sinper_twins_does_computer_friends/

thats enough for now... they are home...
peace out my brothas and sistas

Mike has poked you - a serious moment.

in this age of poking random acquaintances or elementary bullies and crushes, I once found myself drowning in memories.

my memories sucked.

I grew up a lad with obvious social problems. I don't blame anyone, back then, it wasn't cool to be diagnosed with anything, or to even test for that matter... but there has always been something different about me.

I have always been a social outcast... however, of the losers, I was quite the coolest... thats something, right?

In recent years, with Kaedens diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome, I am starting to understand me better. I see so many things in him that I was, it's sad knowing that he will face the lonlieness and awkwardness that i did and do.

But, there is hope, my son.... while i may not be the social titan i dream of being, I have it good, a beautiful girl on my arm, a wonderful family and a life that is generally fulfilling. I have learned to work on my eccentricities. I have learned to cope with how I am, and have learned to surround myself with people who are not the plasticy ones from my childhood. I have grown to understand what the normals are all about.

That being said... I am not there yet... nor do i think i will ever be... like Jane Goodall and her hairy friends, I much prefer to observe... normals fascinate me... watching an interaction between a plastic and a silverback alpha male is so scripted, and beautiful.

Back to FBing... I forgot how big of a loser some people were... like this one guy, I latched onto him because he let me borrow his atari games, and later NES games... when i was 14, he was awesome... we were both morons, and we both made each other laugh... when i found him, I relived those fun times... however, he has not grown up... you think i have mental issues, try interacting with a 33 year old who's humor and attitude has not evolved since grade 5... ugh!

Then there was the girls.. oh ladies... one on one, you would talk to me and we would actually have conversations... but when anyone else was around.. you'd push me away... ah the multifaceted pubesent female... how you intrigued me...

About a year ago, i took it upon myself to actually start choosing my friends, rather than add everyone i ever shared a class with, or were in the same club as, or whatever... I decided to be the cool guy and dump the people who were not an advancement in my social standing, or someone i wanted to be associated with. I got to be the cool guy that chose his circle.

If you are on my list, you obviously had some positive effect on my life.
I thank you
M.
*poke*

life, the universe and everything

Yesterday, we went hunting for our christmas lights to put up... found one box where we knew they would be, the other box, we swore we bought (before last year, but never put them up mainly due to my lazy ass...) could not be found.. we checked everywhere, basement, garage, laundryroom, bathroom, everywhere... then Laurie remembered the boxes of random crap in Sophies soon to be (my EX computer) room... and we found em.

so, up the ladder i went

well... lovelies... my lights are up, although i need some more... and i don't think they sell these ones anymore... we have some old glass ones, but they are red and green only, and Laurie says "we make fun of people who do that, lets get the same kind instead..." grah

I also took this opportunity to replace the screen in the living room that i took out to install our air conditioner that i got for free on Kijiji :)

speaking of freebies... check out these sites....

http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/free.htm
get yourself a free dehydrated water sample...
-- be sure to check out the FAQs so you know what you are getting into :)

also, not free, but quite good if you ever want a fresh start, have bad credit, don't want to move to yemen to avoid a crazy ex(or create a crazy ex by dumping their ass), or you are a snitch and the mob ordered a hit on you....
http://www.anewidentity.com/

next time gadget... next time
(rrrroooooowrowwr...)
MadMike